SPINACH RECIPES:  The Spinach Salad recipe below is from the Pioneer Valley Growers Association (PVGA) web site.  The PVGA "is a cooperative of farmers located in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.  The PVGA distributes fruit and produce grown by local farmers to supermarket chains within Massachusetts and throughout New England."

The PVGA web site at the address below has more recipres:

                                                http://pvga.net
 
SPINACH SALAD
1 lb. spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 med. red onion, thinly sliced
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup almonds

Combine ingredients and serve with desired dressing.

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From "Take This Veggie and Stuff It", a Hi Arbor Cookbook:

ZUCCHINI MUSHNACHE    Seres 6

3 medium zucchini
1 C. minced onions
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
3 C Portabella mushroom caps, chopped
1 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp soy sauce
5 C. fresh, uncooked spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1 C. cooked brown rice
1/4 C. grated Romano cheese, if desired
3/4 C. tomato juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the zucchini in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out pulp to leave a shell.  Set pulp aside.

Saute' onions, garlic and salt in heated oil until onions are just softened.  Add mushrooms, dill, sherry and soy sauce.  Cook until mushrooms are just tender.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Wash spinach well and snip stems.  In a saucepan, cook spinach in just enough water to cover.  Cook until wilted, but do not over cook.  Drain spinach.  Combine spinach with saute' mixture, rice and seasonings.

Mound mixture into each zucchini half.  Sprinkle tops with Romano cheese, if desired.  Pour tomato juice into a shallow baking dish, touching.  Cover pan tightly with foil and bake approximately 30 min, until zucchini is tender.  Uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until tops are browned.

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From a can of Del Monte spinach:

                                          HERBED SPINACH PASTA
                                  Prep. 5 min.  Cook: 13 min.  Servings: 4

6 oz. uncooked pasta (penne, spirals or macaroni)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red, yellow or green bell pepper, cut in strips
1 can (13-1/2 oz.) whole leaf spinach, well drained

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
2.  Cook onion, garlic and basil in oil in skillet until onion is tender.  Add pepper strips; cook 3 minutes.  Stir in spinach; heat through.
3.  Toss with pasta and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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ZUCCHINI, APPLE AND ONION WITH ROTINI   Serves 1-2

1 cup uncooked rotini
1 Tbsp oil
2 small zucchini squash, sliced
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
salt and crushed red pepper, to taste
Sunflower seeds, to taste

Cook rotini, drain and set aside.   Saute' vegetables in a large skillet in oil until tender  I used a low heat to saute' slowly while I did other things and put a lid on the pan to encourage cooking and preserve moisture.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Stir in rotini, cover and let sit for a few minutes for flavors to meld.  Sprinkle with sunflower seeds before serving.

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BITS OF INFORMATION AND NEWS:

"If you park 100 strides farther from the entrance you would walk at least one mile more in one week than...if you'd parked...up front." 

"Fill a basin with warm water and a few drops of essential oil or even baby oil.  Ad marbles and roll your feet over them to simulate a massage.  After the water has cooled down, moisturize your tootsies and legs with a rich lotion.  (Save the marbles in a cup for the next time!)"

A major supermarket chain here has removed from its shelves milk from cows treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH).  Another major supermarket chain is in the process of discontinuing to sell milk from hormone treated cows.  Other non-supermarket retailers are also moving away from use of the milk. 
        
     Kroger's press release is at the web address below.  It refers to the growth hormone as rBST (Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin).

   http://www.thekrogerco.com/corpnews/corpnewsinfo_pressreleases_08012007.htm

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  Hi Arbor Cookbook

"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" has recipes for stuffing 21 vegetables from artichokes to zucchini, and if you don't know how to stuff an artichoke, the book explains.  There are 87 recipes, some of which have seafood but most are vegetarian.  Substitutions, measurements and equivalents are listed.  Herbs and seasonings are defined and there is a glossary of cooking terms in addition to a list of how much of a fresh spice is needed versus the same spice in a dry form.

"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" costs $12.50 per copy plus
$2.50 for shipping and handling, and it can be ordered from Hi
Arbor, Inc.; P. O. Box 265; Oceanville, NJ 08231.  Or from the web
address below.

                                             www.hiarbor.org

                                                       X X X

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The End